Who’s Next (1971)

Despite their artistic appreciation, The Who were never the philosophically astute band that Pete Townshend hoped they would be. An ambitious rock album soaring through the charts, ‘Tommy’ (1969) left its main songwriter hungry for a sequel to the tentatively titled ‘Lifehouse’, but with such an intricate sci-fi plot that Townshend may have been private. to understand what it meant, and found himself unable to translate for his three bandmates. Facing defeat, Townshend transformed the album into something more accessible, ironically releasing one of the band’s most satisfying albums in the process.

Despite its live prowess, The Who, prior to 1971, simply lacked the musicianship that propelled Led Zeppelin to stratospheric heights. Serious as they were, Roger Daltrey’s voice had generally been too soft, never reaching the range of notes that Robert Plant played in ‘Led Zeppelin II’ and III ‘. ´Next ´ proved to be the exception, his howling screams and whispered notes were the stuff of rock legends here, ´Behind Blue Eyes´ an exceptional example of how good he could be, while still being his best voice. Keith Moon, on the other hand, is no stranger to grandiose performance, he found himself at the mercy of producer Glyn Jones’ microphone adornment, meaning his tapping was replaced by a firmer, more refined rhythm, giving his presence more space. and cleaner time, those bygone days of “I can see Miles,” an indulgent and distant memory. John Entwistle (himself the best musician in the band) played his bass lines delicately, his brass parts with gusto, before putting his whole range of dark anecdotes into his scathing ‘My Wife’ (the woman in question took it well, he joked; she didn’t contact him, her attorney did!)

But Townshend, the leader of the band, is the most praiseworthy, both as a musician and as a songwriter. The album may have cost him his artistic opera, but it left him a catalog of songs that he will always remember as some of rock’s greatest. Townshend later stated that The Who’s greatest achievement was the creation of the stadium anthem, the genesis of which can be heard on the tracks ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, favorites of rock stations. perennials. with the synthesizer still little used. Where the eighties would meet music, the use of Townshend in both points to the future of rock, using it as a backdrop, which would make more use of future art rockers Arcade Fire, David Bowie and Talking Heads. Brave for 1971, the screamadelics would be contrasted by the cerebral and mystical ‘This Song Is Over’, the best Who song the radio ever played. A strong singer, Townshend’s whispered voice is supplanted by Daltrey’s larger-than-life coda, Entwhistle’s vibrant bass is the added ingredient that makes it all work. A defender of the blues, Daltrey spits out the lyrics of ‘Borgain’ with vigor, a way John Lydon would make a career out of it. Townshend and Daltrey formed an excellent partnership, their continuing partnership is a testament to this fact.

But it is the aforementioned ´Won´t Get Fooled Again´ that would continue to be the band’s masterpiece. Anarchic, yet beautifully produced, their most politically charged song, but their most commercially viable hit, Townshend’s staccatos are at the forefront, their frenetic pace playing energetic, loud, but with notes far removed from the pop genius, the song left a lasting impression. with audiences, his most revered song to date, though Daltrey has often omitted the infamous “meet the new boss / same old boss line”) for post-9/11 audiences. A monstrous track, he showed off his veracity and hard work, proving his place as one of the greats of the seventies.

The album could be best summarized by its cover; the four men desecrating a stonehenge with their urine. A declaration of defiance, intention and rebellion, he encapsulated in a photo what the band really was; Not the art fans they wanted so badly to be, but the nasty rockers most bands wanted to be!

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